Pete Buchanan
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2 June 2015
29 June 2021
| Pete Buchanan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Kai Owen | ||||||||
| Duration | 2015–2016, 2018, 2021 | ||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 4200 2 June 2015 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 5622 29 June 2021 | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood (2015, 2018, 2021) | ||||||||
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Pete Buchanan is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kai Owen. From his debut appearance on 2 June 2015, he has been involved in the sexual abuse plot within the McQueen family. After being imprisoned for his crimes, Pete left the series on 29 June 2016. Pete returned for a one-off appearance on 12 October 2018. On 29 March 2021, it was announced that Owen would be reprising the role, with Pete returning on 6 April 2021.
Creation and characterisation
It was announced in April 2015 that the McQueen family were going to be centre to a sexual abuse storyline. Hollyoaks worked with the NSPCC for the storyline, who said: "we've teamed-up with Hollyoaks to highlight the most common form of child sexual abuse with the aim of assisting young victims to find help and support".[1] The concept and name of the character was announced on 8 April 2015, where it was confirmed that Pete would be a pedophile,[2] while additional details such as casting was announced on 10 April 2015.[3] His profile on the Channel 4 website describes him as a handyman that is "always happy to help out".[4] He is a "social chameleon" who can fit in wherever he goes, and can easily have a conversation with anyone that he meets.[4] The profile states that "few people have a bad word to say about Pete", but that is part of his plan, since his "perfected Mr Nice Guy act is just a façade".[4] It also notes that Pete is manipulative, and that after "worming his way in" to the McQueen family unit, he becomes Reenie McQueen's (Zöe Lucker) "saviour" to get close to her children.[4] Digital Spy wrote that Pete is evil, but that he is "able to portray himself as a nice guy".[5] Speaking of his casting, Owen told Digital Spy: "Pete is a challenging role to take on. I'm honoured to be part of this storyline and to be able to work with the NSPCC to raise awareness of child abuse to the Hollyoaks audience."[5]
Returns (2018, 2021)
In 2018, it was announced that Pete would be returning as part of Cleo's "harrowing bulimia story". His scenes are set in prison, when Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed), the then-partner of Cleo, visits him.[6] Douglas-Speed explained that Joel believes that Pete is "at the centre of all of Cleo's issues", which is what leads him to visit Pete.[7] In March 2021, it was hinted that Cleo receives a "blast from the past" after she receives a call from an unknown number.[8] When she answers the call, her reaction is "concerning" and her boyfriend Toby Faroe (Bobby Gordon) becomes worried for her.[8] Hollyoaks producers confirmed that the storyline would see someone return to the series, whose last appearance had aired in 2018.[8] Later that month, it was announced that Pete would act as the returnee the following month.[9] The storyline, which revisits the mental health of both Cleo and Toby, sees Toby becomes determined to get revenge on the "evil abuser".[9] Actor Owen confirmed that Pete's sole purpose of returning to the village was due to him believing that he could "win Cleo around once again".[10] Speaking on his character, he said Pete is "a master manipulator, he's a nasty piece of work, and he's powerful", as well as that "he knows exactly who to target".[10] He admitted that the role is difficult to play due to the villainous aspects of it, but felt it is important to portray Pete due to the importance of the storyline.[10]